Jacques Bergez passes away at 96

Jacques Bergez, a French Resistance fighter and deportee during World War II, died on October 16, 2022, at the age of 96. He was one of the last surviving resisters in France and in the Oise department.

Announcement by local official

His death was announced by Lieutenant Colonel Gilles Boy, vice president of the ONaC-VG of the Oise. This organization is responsible for commemorating the memory of those who fought in the Resistance and the French civil war during World War II.

Early life and family background

Bergez was born on February 18, 1926. His father, a career officer, fought during World War I and was captured by the enemy in Germany from 1940 to 1945.

Joining the Resistance at 17

Bergez joined the Resistance in 1943 at the age of 17. He had wanted to enlist as early as 15 years old with a companion of the same age, aiming to join the Forces of General de Gaulle by passing through Gibraltar and Morocco.

Guided by a Resistance leader

However, a Resistance leader, André Montavon, stationed in a farm in Haute-Savoie, guided him toward another path, leading him to choose the Resistance directly from France. He used a bicycle and a simple map from the State Major to prepare paratrooper drops and airplane landings.

Participating in key operations

Under the alias "Marcel," Bergez participated in dangerous operations, including blowing up a lock gate on the Rhine-Rhône Canal on March 3, 1943, with three other resisters, which paralyzed river traffic heading to Germany.

Arrest and deportation

He was arrested for the first time in December 1943 due to a denunciation and again a year later by the Gestapo. He was then deported to Buchenwald with 2,000 other prisoners, then to Osterhagen, and then to a labor camp.

Final months of captivity

Gilles Boy specified that Bergez spent his last six months of captivity at Klein Bodungen. Out of 1,200 men, only 632 prisoners remained on April 5, 1945. Upon his return, he weighed only 40 kilograms.

Post-war involvement

Bergez was actively involved in the world of veterans and participated in commemorative ceremonies, particularly that of the last train of the deported at Compiègne.